First Thing: Ted Cruz faces backlash after deadly Texas mall shooting

Senator should advocate for gun controls rather than invoking prayer after mass shootings'. Plus, King Charles's moans'

• Don't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up here

Good morning.

Texas senator Ted Cruz's comment that he was praying" for families of the eight victims killed in a shooting at a shopping mall in his state has sparked outrage as many critics say the Republican should advocate for meaningful gun control rather than repeatedly invoke prayer after mass, deadly violence.

Rightwing death squad'. The alleged shooter wore a patch on his chest communicating the phrase when he was killed by police. Federal agents have been reviewing social media accounts they believe he used and posts that expressed interest in white supremacist and neo-Nazi views, according to an official.

In a separate potential attack elsewhere in the state. Eight people were and 10 others were injured after a car drove into a crowd outside a shelter serving migrants and homeless people in Brownsville, Texas, yesterday, and investigators believe it may have been intentional.